Sunday’s 0-0 draw on Merseyside was a forgettable affair that leaves Mikel Arteta’s team top of the Premier League table

‘Walk in the park’. ‘Bloodbath’. ‘Non-competitive’. Just some of the phrases you might have read in match previews ahead of Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Manchester United. And yet, as Michael Oliver blew the final whistle at Anfield, the two old rivals shook hands with the spoils shared; their 0-0 draw one of the more forgettable meetings between these two teams in their vaunted histories.

For Liverpool, this was a game that was meant to cement their place atop the Premier League table after they had risen to the summit last week. Instead, they now sit second, one point behind leaders Arsenal, who they host next Saturday in what promises to be a Christmas cracker.

For that to come true, though, then the Reds attack will need to sharpen itself. Jurgen Klopp’s side have relied upon late goals to get the job done in recent weeks, but their profligacy in front of goal proved costly this time around, with a number of their star forwards and creative midfielders coming up way short of their usual levels.

From the United perspective, though, this was at least some kind of positive response after a week that saw them suffer damaging home defeats to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich. It wasn’t a particularly forward-thinking display, and fans will want to see more from Erik ten Hag’s team going forward, but from a defensive point of view, they stood up well to Liverpool’s much-heralded forward line.

There have been plenty of false-dawns already this season for United, so no one will be getting carried away with a battling point on the road against a superior team, but supporters can at least come up for air after another embarrassing chapter in their recent history.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Anfield…

WINNER: Raphael Varane

Although he has a lot of fitness issues, Raphael Varane still is a world-class defender on his day, and he proved that with a sensational performance here. It’s no coincidence that he is a four-time Champions League winner and World Cup champion, and here he managed to keep Darwin Nunez in his pocket while ensuring Mohamed Salah had a rare quiet day against United at Anfield.

It was the first time Varane had been paired with Jonny Evans, but the two veterans looked as if they had been playing together their whole careers and became the first team all season – in any competition – to prevent Jurgen Klopp’s side from scoring.

The defender’s exile from Erik ten Hag’s side for so long was baffling, and his two superb displays since returning to the fold merely underline how bad a decision it was from the manager to discard him for so long.

Ten Hag has always insisted he never had a personal problem with Varane and that he only excluded him from the team – giving him no starts for six weeks – for tactical reasons. Instead, Harry Maguire’s resurgence and the Dutchman’s preference for having left-footed players in the left centre-back position were cited as the reasons he had cast the serial winner out.

After a display like this, Maguire might struggle to usurp Varane from the team when he returns from his groin injury.

LOSER: Liverpool’s misfiring forwards

If you had told any Liverpool fan before kick-off that their team would manage 34 shots to United’s six, 12 corners to the visitors’ zero, and more than double the attempted passes of their opponents, and most would have found themselves imagining a repeat of last season’s 7-0 victory at Anfield.

Instead, the Reds were wasteful with the chances they did create, and most of the shots they did take were desperate efforts as United’s defence held up well to wave after wave of pressure from the home side. Andre Onana was barely stretched, with his best save coming in the first half as he tipped over Virgil van Dijk’s header from a corner.

That it was left to the centre-back to come closest tells the story of Liverpool’s attackers, who for the most part looked well off the level required to make the breakthrough. Nunez’s goal drought has now stretched to nine games, with the Uruguay striker again constantly flagged for being offside while struggling to find the space to get into the game.

Over on his right-hand side, Dominik Szoboszlai and Salah constantly seemed to be on different pages from one another, with both players guilty of numerous misplaced passes, and it was telling that the Hungary captain was the first player replaced by Klopp after the hour-mark. Salah stayed on, but his shots became more and more fanciful.

In recent times, Klopp’s substitutions have sparked some attacking fluency, but even the likes of Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott were unable to create much of note during their second-half cameos. A repeat performances next week, and Arsenal will feel pretty comfortable about coming into a stadium that they have struggled at under Mikel Arteta.

WINNER: Arsenal & the title challengers

This was a massive opportunity for Liverpool. With Arsenal due at Anfield next week, victory here would have set the Reds up to potentially take control of the Premier League title race if they could then handle the Gunners as well.

Manchester City dropping yet more points against Crystal Palace on Saturday in what was their final league game before Christmas due to their participation in the Club World Cup opened up an even wider window for Liverpool to climb through, but they were unable to do so.

Arsenal’s victory over Brighton earlier on Sunday means it is instead they who finish the weekend sat top of the table, though it might actually be Aston Villa who lead the way by the time next Saturday’s game at Anfield kicks-off, with Unai Emery’s side hosting 20th-placed Sheffield United on Friday. Tottenham are also showing signs of life again, meaning the top five are separated by just six points after 17 fixtures.

All this is setting us up for a fascinating title race, but Liverpool undoubtedly will feel that this was a game that should have put them back in front of the chasing pack.

LOSER: Diogo Dalot

When you’re in added-time at Anfield and on track for a brilliant result, you need to keep your cool. What you absolutely do not need to do is get sent off for arguing with the referee about a throw-in. Pick your battles.

Although his sending off felt harsh, Diogo Dalot should know that officials are clamping down on dissent this season. Players were warned of the fact by the Football Association at the start of the season, and only last month, Brighton captain Lewis Dunk was shown a straight red card for dissent. Given the rise in abuse of referees and the shocking attack on an official in Turkey last week, the clampdown is well overdue.

Dalot’s senseless sending off ended up having no real impact as it happened in added-time, but he still left his side a man down and risked ruining all their hard work. The Portuguese is now suspended for next week’s visit to West Ham, offering Aaron Wan-Bissaka the chance to win his place in the side back.

WINNER: Erik ten Hag

Many questioned why Ten Hag was still in the job heading into this game after United made their worst start to a season in 50 years and suffered a humiliating Champions League group-stage exit. The fact that United are in institutional limbo until Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrives means, though, there is no one in the club with the authority to sack him.

However, a repeat of last year’s abysmal defeat would have cranked up the pressure on him even more and left him vulnerable to being fired as soon as Ratcliffe and his INEOS team got the keys to Old Trafford. After all, Jose Mourinho was finally sacked days after a heavy December defeat at Anfield.

Ten Hag arrived on Merseyside with a depleted and demoralised squad, but he devised a clever gameplan and his players stuck to it perfectly. Passing the ball out from the back and involving Onana in the play so often was a big risk, but his players stayed calm and worked their way out of the press, slowing the game down and frustrating Liverpool.

It was by no means a memorable performance and it brought back memories of the insipid goalless draws Mourinho had overseen at Anfield in his first two seasons. But given United’s injury problems and the dire results they have had this season, a drab draw and a strong defensive display was just what the doctor ordered.

Everyone expected United to wilt in the cauldron of noise, but United dug deep and Ten Hag fights on to live another day.

LOSER: Anyone who sat through that

Granted, Sunday’s events at Anfield were certainly tension-filled, with two of the Premier League’s biggest rivals doing battle in a game that was of major importance to both teams for different reasons. But some of the slop that both sides served up when in possession made sections of the game almost unwatchable.

Possession routinely changed hands, while there was a point in the game where it felt like Onana was playing rugby as he continually chipped passes straight out of play as he looked to find team-mates by the touchline.

Liverpool fans, in particular, voiced their displeasure at their team routinely coming up short in the final third, while Sky Sports commentators Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher could be heard bemoaning the quality of what they were witnessing, with Carragher claiming it was one of the worst games he has sat through all season.

Both teams will obviously have better days going forward, but this is one that all involved will likely want to forget pretty soon.